Name/Title
Sussex Police uniform pullover c1995 - c2005Entry/Object ID
2452Description
Blue wool close knit pullover, with "V" neck and blue cotton patches on the elbows and shoulders. Each shoulder has blue cotton loops for epaulettes and at the front blue cotton tabs to attach a personal radio microphone to. On the top of the left sleeve is a small blue cotton pocket with a velcro secured flap, in which to carry pens. On the left breast is a bell shaped embroidered badge of a star topped with a Queen's crown containing the words "Sussex Police" with a coat of arms centre, underneath which is embroidered "Police". Inside is a label marked "Commando Pure New Wool Quality Knitwear Made in England" and another "To fit 86cm 34' ".Use
For either a male or female Sussex Police officer to wear.Context
In the early 1990s Sussex Police introduced its first uniform pullover that could be worn in public as an outer garment, instead of a tunic or coat. These pullovers were based on military styles and had cotton patches on the elbows and shoulders, and had vertical ribbing. Importantly they had cotton loops on the shoulders which held the same epaulettes that officers used on their shirts, which meant that these pullovers could be worn in public as they displayed warrant numbers. Over the left breast was the same Sussex Police "EIIR" bell shaped badge (item 743), that was already in use on waterproof jackets and had been used on the previous pullovers that could not be worn in public (item 2426).
In the mid 1990s new pullovers were introduced in Sussex with one like the one pictured. This type is the same colour and retains shoulder and elbow patches, together with epaulette loops. However it was was knitted in a thinner wool without the ribbing, and had the addition of a pen pocket on the left sleeve and shoulder tabs to hold the microphone of a personal radio. These pullovers also had the newer Sussex Police embroidered badge, replacing the "EIIR" with the Sussex Police coat of arms, which was introduced in 1995, when the force re badged.
These pullovers continued to be issued to both, male and female officers until the 2000s when they were replaced with fleece blouson jackets.